


No One Like You

by moomacow



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Guardian Angel AU, a story that actually has plot?? not just mild fluff and heavy angst?? wow, angel au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2018-12-19 22:30:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11907522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomacow/pseuds/moomacow
Summary: Guardian angel AU. Lena being less than happy with the family that adopted her, only to go upstairs to find a woman with wings who's grinning and "Hi! I'm Kara, your guardian angel" Kara gets invested in making Lena's life perfect and helping her... But Lex is a dick





	1. Chapter 1

Lena excused herself from the dinner table as quickly as she could, citing a need to work on her homework. Through sheer force of will, her constricted throat sounded decidedly calmer and more devoid of emotion than she felt.

Her plate was nearly untouched, and she could feel the weight of Mother’s disapproving stare on her back. She walked up the stairs carefully, putting on the facade of decorum and propriety, and then ran up when she was out of earshot.

She flung open her door and eased it closed, wedging a binder underneath to stop it from opening suddenly. She wanted to slide down the exquisitely designed slab of wood- not that she cared, she knew from experience that the most alluring outer beauty could be concealing a rotten core- and curl into herself on the floor.

Instead, she approached her bed, twisted on her heel, and flopped onto it with an “oof.” If nothing else, with an open airway and almost careless spread of her body, she could shed some weight off her chest. Deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

“Rough day?”

Startled out of her meditation, she bolted up and backed against the door. Her heart pounded with the sudden exertion, and the adrenaline of her fear. She cursed herself for being so self-absorbed in her own misery that she didn’t even notice the intruder. Her eyes darted around the room for possible routes of escape or defense before alighting on the stranger. It was a girl, sitting on her chair by the desk, legs criss-crossed, blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. When they locked eyes, she smiled and waved.

“Hi! I’m Kara, your guardian angel.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed as she put up a brave front. Because really, this couldn’t just be a harmless girl if she got past the Luthor’s formidable defenses. “Leave, before I call security.”

The other girl’s face fell. “I know it’s a little sudden, but just let me explain. Okay? I know you’re a nice person, Lena.”

Strangely, Lena’s heart ached at the sight, but she stood her ground. “You’re a stranger, and you broke into my room.”

Kara nodded slowly. “Yeah- but I also have these.” She twisted around in the chair and pointed to her back. Actual, feathery wings protruded from her shoulder blades. Subconsciously, Lena edged closer.

“Wha-”

Kara stood and slowly walked over, reaching for her hand. Lena let it be led onto the soft white surface. “Huh.” Her fingers trailed down the length of an entire wing, surprised that it had little give when she applied pressure.

Kara smirked. “Yeah, they’re awesome.”

Lena stepped back. “Anyone can glue a couple of feathers together.”

Her companion inclined her head in acknowledgement. “Of course. You need more proof.” 

Lena huffed. Then she blinked, and the girl was gone. She twisted around, but there was no one behind her. Had she hallucinated the whole thing? Had Lillian finally grown so tired of her that she’d poisoned her drink during dinner?

Before her thoughts could spiral any further, the girl re-appeared in front of her. Lena clapped a hand on her mouth to stifle her startled yelp. Kara’s eyes widened, and she rushed forward to comfort her.

“Woah, hey! I’m sorry, I just know you’re the type that needs hard evidence to believe in something.” She stroked one hand up and down Lena's arm.

“You okay?”

Lena nodded. Then she re-examined the girl in front of her. An angel. Funny, she used to pray for one to save her. Until she realized she was alone, and all she had was herself. She crossed her arms and hitched her chin up.

“Why are you here?”

Kara put her hands on her hips (To project confidence? Remind her of heroes that never paid her any mind?). “To protect you, of course.”

All she needed to complete the look was a cape fluttering behind her. Lena thought back to the numerous times Lillian had threatened, belittled, and otherwise abused her for the past twelve years, ever since she was four.

She scoffed. “I can take care of myself.”

At that, Kara stopped posturing. She looked down, then back up into her charge’s eyes. “I know everything that has happened to you in your life, Lena. Good and bad. I’ve felt everything you have. The pain, the happiness. The chaotic weave of your entire existence. And I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you before, but I’m here now, and I’m never leaving your side.”

Lena stared into her intense blue eyes and saw the sincerity shine through. She sighed, resigning herself to fate. If she was to fall, let it be at the hands of an angel. “I’m guessing it’ll only get worse from here?”

Kara grabbed her arms earnestly. “I won’t let it. I promise.”

Her hands were warm. They put her at ease, and Lena relaxed since the first time she’d spotted her.

Suddenly, she was swamped in blonde hair as Kara wrapped her arms around her. The angel whispered, “I know you’ve needed one.”

Lena shuddered and sank into the embrace. She pulled strong shoulders to her and hid her face in Kara’s neck. “Thank you.”

Kara caressed her back. “Anytime.”

Then she pulled away. Lena almost whined at the loss of contact. 'Pathetic, Lena,' said a voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother’s. Kara smiled reassuringly and took her hand, leading her to sit side by side on the bed.

Lena was lost. She’d heard of people with angels. They were a rarity, and there wasn’t much research about them. How would this arrangement work? Why now, of all days?

“Someone up there-” Kara pointed to the ceiling, which Lena correctly assumed referred to the sky. To heaven? If heaven was real, was hell real as well? “-knows that you’ll make a difference in this world.”

Lena nodded silently. She knew she was more intelligent than a great many people. And with the Luthor wealth at her disposal, she could enact huge positive changes in others’ lives. At least, that’s what she dreamt of doing.

“But your brother knows this too. And he really doesn’t want it to happen.”

Lena gritted her teeth at the mention of him. She’d looked up to him for years, until he turned on his best friend and tried to kill him. Clark Kent, also known as Superman. In his lust for Kryptonian blood, he’d put a lot of innocent lives at risk.

She was brought back to the present by a thumb sweeping across her hand. “It’s my job to keep you safe. But my goal is to make you happy.”

Lena laughed in disbelief. It’d been so long, she’d almost forgotten what happy felt like.

“Actually, we would’ve met a lot sooner, but the whole Kal-El disaster set things back for a while.”

“Kal-El?”

“Superman.” Kara spoke the title with derision. “He was, um… a rogue angel.”

“Wait, what?”

“They saw potential in your brother as well. You know how well that turned out… my cousin kept his corruption hidden. They can only see the importance of a person, not whether their actions are ultimately good or bad. He could see into your brother’s very soul. It was Kal’s job to set him on the right path. But he wanted to play the hero, become the hero of Earth. He fabricated his origin story and abused his power.”

“I remember him,” Lena whispered. He’d always treated her kindly. The best out of all of Lex’s friends, in fact. “Is he dead?”

Kara nodded slowly. “He will never be seen again on Earth.”

“So how does that affect us?” Her hand rested comfortably between both of Kara’s. Even with the overwhelming change in the entire course of her life, she felt at peace.

“My powers have been drastically lowered in strength and intensity, for one. And we weren’t bonded until They were absolutely sure that you have a good heart.”

Lena turned her head away. “I’m not so sure.” She’d always had that doubt, that anxiety, ever since she watched her brother turn into a monster. One a part of her couldn’t help but love. And maybe that same evil resided within her, lying dormant until it could seize an opportunity and break free.

Kara gently cupped her cheek. “Hey,” she said softly. Lena didn’t move. “It may not seem like it, but I know you, Lena. You are so, so good. You’ve beared an impossible weight on your shoulders for years and never let it beat you down. You’re strong, and capable. You can do this. We can do this.”

A shaky inhale and sharp nod were her only reply.

"Do you need some time-"

Teary green eyes locked with endlessly deep sky-blue ones. "Don't go."

Kara tried for a half-smile. "Okay." She gathered Lena in her arms. "I'll be here."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE COMES THE ANGST TRAIN

Martine flipped the laptop screen open to face her and waited for the video link to establish, the toe of her heel clicking rhythmically on a black tile. When his face materialized as a series of pale, bitter pixels, she spoke. “We detected a large burst of energy on the manor grounds a week ago. We believe she has an angel.”

Lex sneered. “Of course she does.” He leaned back in his black leather chair. One of the only nice things in his godforsaken prison. The slate gray walls pulsed inwards, and he squeezed his eyes shut. They’d been doing that a lot lately. He forced himself to focus. His sweet sister had always been abandoned. Made sense that her angel didn’t appear until she was too old to believe that her angel had hung the moon and stars in the sky. Over the years, it had become drastically less likely that she would even get a guardian. For an angel to show up this late in the game- they weren’t ready for what he had in store for them.

Rousseau’s voice brought him back to the present. “What are your orders?”

“Capture it.”

Martine nodded curtly and moved to leave his old study. 

“Rousseau.”

“Yes, sir?”

“If you ever wait this long to disclose information with me ever again, you won’t have a tongue to bite. Is that clear?”

She fought the urge to swallow and waited a beat in silence. It was better to keep quiet than to explain the myriad of reasons why she hadn’t informed him of the development. (His mental instability, for one. In addition to the fact that Ms. Luthor had managed to remain holed up in her family’s manor all week. But if her patterns held true, she’d venture into the city tonight. Her team couldn’t risk exposure any earlier, and he would have demanded that they apprehend the angel immediately. Besides, tearing the angel away from her human would be so much more satisfying after they’d developed a bond.)

“Yes, sir.”

She tapped on her earpiece. “Lambert, get eyes on Ms. Luthor.”

Her device crackled, and his smug voice responded, “Already on it. They’re having a nice little bonding session at Grove and Main.”

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she retrieved it to find a picture of little Lena, arms linked with a young blonde. They looked happy. Her upper lip curled. 

“Don’t lose them. On my way.”

She disconnected before she was treated to the indignant scoff on the other end. Jeremy was so predictable. She descended the stairs into the basement, reaching a locked door with a keypad and hand and eye scanner. She entered to find what resembled a tranquilizer gun on the metal table, with a luminescent blue fluid tethered to the top in a glass cylinder. She picked it up, testing its weight, and mimed jabbing it into her target. Perfect. She turned on her heel and walked out.

She entered the garage and reached her sleek black Corvette Z06. She let her fingers run across its smooth side and got in, sinking into the leather seat and allowing the HUD to project the fastest route to her target. She revved the engine and peeled out of the underground, bursting into the brisk night.  
\---  
Kara woke up with a pounding headache. At least, that’s what she thought it was, based on Lena’s past pain responses. She’d never felt her own pain, until now. She wasn’t supposed to…

She cracked open an eye and squinted at the too-bright light.

“Ah, she wakes.”

A chill crept into Kara to the core. She knew that voice. She’d first heard it after she beat him at chess. No- that wasn’t her. It was Lena.

She righted her head and stared at the man in front of her.

The weight of his unblinking gaze made her skin crawl.

Her mouth felt like cotton as she tried to speak. “Where am I?” They were alone in a chilly cement room with a single exit- a metal door that was bolted shut. She was wearing a loose hospital gown. She tried to cross her arms over herself protectively, but her hands jolted and stopped. She was chained to the table. The move exacerbated the chafing on her wrists and she bit her lip to stop herself from expressing the flash of pain. She had a feeling he’d like it.

He tutted. “You know you’re not getting an answer to that one, beautiful.”

Her stomach roiled with hatred. “Where’s Lena?”

He leaned forward, head cocked. “You tell me.”

She shut her eyes and tried to conjure up thoughts of Lena. She couldn’t feel the pull to her anymore. The loss felt like a gaping hole in her chest.

“What have you done?!”

He smiled. “Something no one has ever been able to do.” Maniac. He continued blithely, “You have no powers anymore.”

Kara’s fists clenched. She knew something was wrong when she woke up. Were they really gone? Weren’t They still keeping tabs on him? How did he do it?

He reached across the table and tapped her chin up. She bared her teeth and fought the urge to bite his finger. She’d never had the desire to hurt another person before. It left a bad taste in her mouth. He really had violated her and broken some irreplaceable, fundamental part of her being.

“You’ve got some fight left in you yet.” He stood up, chair scraping against the floor. He looked into a camera mounted in a corner of the ceiling for a moment. The bolt holding the door in place slid back. Kara experimentally moved her legs. They weren’t tied to anything.

She looked pleadingly at her captor. “Please, Mr. Luthor, before you leave- can you unshackle me?”

He grinned. “Of course, my dear.” His hand retrieved a key from his pocket, and to Kara it seemed to inch towards its corresponding keyhole as if falling through tar. He abruptly stopped and rubbed his bare chin exaggeratedly. “You won’t try anything stupid, will you?”

She shook her head rapidly. His hand moved back towards hers on the table. He stopped again. Then he leaned in close, cool breath fanning Kara’s face. She recoiled back as far as she could in her seat. He turned to whisper in her ear. “You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?”

She did the only logical thing she could think of. She scraped her seat back and kneed him in the groin. He collapsed onto the floor, and her left hand shot out to catch the key before it even reached the table. Someone was watching, and she needed every second before they saw their boss writhing on the floor and stopped her from leaving.

She unchained herself and knelt on the Luthor’s chest. She hated to make the connection, but calling him “Lex” seemed too intimate and “man” too impersonal. 

“You know how this ends, blondie.” He gasped. She punched him in the groin and he stopped talking, resorting to another round of gasps. She searched his pockets and stole his keycard. She wished she could chain him to the table so he could get a taste of his own medicine, but it’d waste too much time.

She ran out the door without a second glance. Thankfully, the room she’d been in was at the end of a corridor, so she didn’t have to guess which direction to go.

She kept running at a breakneck pace, head swiveling back and forth to look for floorplans, stairwells, anything.

She skidded to a halt next to an elevator. She was indeed underground. She jabbed the button and waited anxiously. After an eternity, the doors dinged open, and she slipped in. She pressed the doors closed and pressed the button for “ground floor.” Nothing happened. She spotted a card slot and inserted the stolen ID, then tried again. The elevator began traveling upwards.

Her anxiety grew as her stomach dropped. If they weren’t going to chase her, then they must be confident they could catch her before she left. She was an angel, but she’d raise hell before she let them kidnap her again.

She tensed as the elevator came to a stop, and dashed out as soon as the doors opened. Suddenly, pain wracked her body and she collapsed. The convulsions were petering out when she looked up at the crackling taser in the hand of who was surely one of Luthor’s cronies… speak of the devil. Lex himself sauntered into her field of view. 

“Be a good girl and stay down.”

He knelt and electrocuted her until she saw black and passed out. The last thing she felt was hands under her arms, dragging her away.  
\---

Lena’s fists clenched and unclenched. Her nails dug into her palms and retreated rhythmically. Because two feet away, was a TV screen which showed her everything currently happening to her angel. The last thing she remembered was trying to feed Kara an electric blue piece of cotton candy. After that… she didn’t know. It was obviously Lex’s doing- he was there in the god damn screen, taunting Kara. But for all she knew, this could have happened hours ago. Days, even. Her stomach felt hollow and her throat dry. Even so, there was also the possibility of this happening in real time. She was horrified at her brother touching Kara, speaking to her, even breathing the same air as her. She didn’t deserve to be contaminated by his unadulterated evil. And sadism, apparently.

She gasped when her brother hit the floor and Kara freed herself, silently cheering her on. Her hopes were simultaneously raised and questioned by the unlocked door. It /could/ be that one of her brother’s henchmen was momentarily distracted and didn’t see his boss get knocked on his ass, or this was all just a show to toy with their emotions.

She watched the screen raptly. The game was up when the point of view switched to corridor view, and then to the elevator. They were keeping track of her. This wasn’t an impromptu escape. It was a planned exercise in futility. Kara seemed to know this, too. She knew her angel well. The slope of her shoulders was defiant, but tensed in the face of defeat.

She couldn’t look away as the camera showed one of Lex’s hulking guns-for-hire electrocute Kara. The screen started to get blurry. She blinked rapidly, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She hadn’t even noticed the moisture gathering in her eyes, prompted by her angel’s obvious pain. Her head bowed. She’d been so, so stupid to get them into this mess. She should’ve refused Kara’s help when she first showed up in Lena’s life. Maybe then she would’ve been able to save her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there u go!! only 1 chapter left, I promise fluff  
> 


	3. Close Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> annnd here it is!! sorry for the wait, it was one helluva school year
> 
> FYI: it may look like someone's gonna die, but they don't (it gets pretty close though); Lex's kidnapping and death threats contnd. (what an ass)
> 
> but put that out of your mind and enjoy the cotton candy fluff!!

Kara seemed as giddy as a schoolgirl at her first sleepover.

“Kara, calm down!” Lena laughed. As they’d gotten used to each other, Kara had grown more and more excited at the prospect of finally exploring the human world for herself. They got along famously, more than Lena had dared hope when they first met. Kara, of course, knew that they’d complement each other like two halves to a whole- heaven didn’t make mistakes. Lena felt like Kara was more than she deserved, as heir to the Luthor name.

With the aid of Kara’s temporary invisibility and recon, they had sneaked away from the mansion in the dead of night and were headed to the city. Their shoulders brushed occasionally, making Lena's stomach flutter. She wiped her perspiring palms on her skirt and shyly looked her companion up and down. A collared white shirt peeked out from under a soft blue blazer; her sleeves were rolled up, revealing toned forearms. Red skinny jeans tucked into brown boots completed the look. With each step they took, Lena’s chest loosened. Lena took comfort from it, but nothing warmed her heart more than when Kara smiled and took her hand. They’d called a cab ahead of time, and they got in about a half mile away from home to evade suspicion. During the ride, Lena held a phone up to her ear and pretended to talk to it, when Kara was really making silly faces at her from across the seat while hiding from the driver.

Lena bit her lip to try to minimize her smile. Was this what having a best friend was like? If so, it was fantastic.  
\---  
“Kara, wait!” She called through her giggles. She loved Kara’s excitement, but sometimes she was hard to catch up to.

Lena jogged to catch up to her little angel, who was gaping at the variety of fried foods on display. Deep fried donuts, deep fried ice cream… the works. The smell of an astounding variety of deep fried foods was a welcome reprieve from the sterility of her home.

Lena slipped her hand into Kara’s and approached a vendor. 

“We’ll take two of everything.”

The woman’s eyebrows shot up. Lena brandished her money and the woman smiled, turning to her coworkers. “You heard the little lady! Prep for doubles!”

Kara giggled. “Are you actually going to join me?”

Lena whispered back, “You know you’re eating most of it.”

True to her word, when they found a suitably empty and clean picnic table, Lena only sampled the donuts and Oreos, leaving Kara with the rest.

At one point, Kara stopped her feast to lift a piece of brown… something to Lena’s mouth.

“Taste it!”

Lena eyed it reluctantly. “What is that, exactly?”

Kara continued to wave it in her face. “Just trust me.”

Lena cautiously leaned forward, and took the smallest bite she could. She chewed a bit, then swallowed.

“That… was… surprisingly good.”

Kara grinned. “I knew you’d like it.” She put it in Lena’s hand and ate its twin whole.

“What was it?”

“Deefwied fwinky.”

“Come again?”

The angel put up a hand and swallowed. “Deep fried Twinkie.”

“Oh.” She supposed it couldn’t be helped.

Kara bounced in her seat. “Now for the crown jewel…”

She reached for a container Lena couldn’t see and she placed it in front of them. Lena frowned. She thought they’d already finished everything.

“Open it.” Kara’s eyes glittered mischievously.

Lena hummed noncommittally.

Kara leaned into her and whispered, “Just do it.”

Ever since she’d figured out that she could fluster Lena, she wouldn’t stop trying to make her human a blushing, stuttering mess. Lena hated it (she secretly loved it- but it wasn't much of a secret, since Kara was so attuned to her feelings). Still, she kept up the pretense, because she couldn't afford to melt into a gay puddle this soon after befriending Kara.

“O-Okay then!”

She gingerly pried open the white styrofoam and stared at its contents.

“It’s deep fried kale!!”

Lena’s eyebrow twitched. She tried for a smile, which she knew resembled more of a grimace. “How thoughtful of you, Kara.”

Kara burst out laughing. “Oh your God! You should’ve seen your face, Lena!”

Lena chuckled along. “Oh, thank God you’re not making me eat that.”

Kara popped one ball in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “Actually, they’re pretty good. Tastes kinda like potatoes.”

She held one up for Lena to take, and the human bit into the warm, battered leaf. “Mm.”

“Good, right?”

“Yeah. Great.” Lena’s eyes drifted onto her companion’s lips. Immediately, she turned to find a distraction. A cotton candy vendor was headed in their direction.

“Excuse me, sir!” He angled towards them and came to a stop, the sweets swaying softly with the movement.

“What color would you like, Kara?” She herself would opt for pink or purple, but she wanted to do something for her friend for once.

“Hmm.” The angel tapped her chin. “Blue, please!”

After the transaction, Kara made grabby hands at the street delicacy.

“Gimme!”

Lena laughed and kissed her cheek. “Here’s my gift to you.”

Kara bit into the hazy threads of sugar, turning her lips momentarily blue.

“Now they match your eyes,” Lena said dreamily.

Kara stuck out her blue tongue playfully and handed the stick back. “Thanks, I guess?”

Lena winked. “You’re welcome.” She examined her candy, and could clearly see where Kara had taken a bite and liquefied some of the airy cartoonish cloud. She bit into it just to the side of Kara’s mark. She loved feeling the moisture Kara had left at the edge of her mouth and seeing the solid shrink away so quickly.

She turned her attention back to Kara. Her lips were moving, but she couldn’t make out the words.

Feeling woozy all of a sudden, she slumped to the side, leaning heavily on her angel.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Lena?” She tried to bring her face up to see her and caressed her neck- until she felt something embedded in her skin. Leaning back to see it better, she recognized it as a dart, similar to the ones she’d seen in the Jurassic Park movies earlier that week.

“Lena!”

She didn’t notice the stranger approach until it was too late. Turning a fraction of the way towards the blonde, she was just in time to see a blue liquid being injected into her skin.

“What the-” She was unconscious before she hit the ground, taking Lena with her.

“Assets down. Prep for retrieval.”

\----

They were back in the underground cell, the situation so alike that it seemed like Kara had never even attempted her escape in the first place. Lex stared intently at her, and began to speak as soon as she blinked open her eyes. “Now you see- there’s no way out. You will submit to my will. You will be the next Superman." He paused musingly. "I think I’ll call you… Supergirl.”

Kara’s entire body throbbed in pain, but she fought it back to protest, “You’ll never make me do anything.”

“You played into my plan perfectly last time. The perfect pawn.” He drew a chess piece out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the metal table with a resounding clang. A queen.

“I’ll restore your powers.” He imitated an expression resembling compassion. “You’ll never experience pain again. Not from Lena, not from your own immortal body.”

Kara couldn’t help meeting his eyes at the mention of Lena. Would she really be safe? As long as she complied with his wishes? His face was a mask, revealing nothing.

“Or, alternatively…” He sighed as if with great sorrow. “Lena dies.” He shrugged his shoulders. “What a tragedy it would be, to lose my young sister- when her savior sits shackled right in front of me! If only there was something she could do to save her…” His eyes lost their nonchalance and became malignant. “Do exactly as I say from this point onwards, or she’ll be tortured to the point that she’ll be begging me to kill her.”

“How do I know she’s not already dead?”

“Please, what kind of amateur do you think I am? I wouldn’t lose my one bargaining chip before even striking a deal.”

Kara stared at him, waiting. She wouldn’t fall for his words. She had to hold out until she could see Lena in person. “Let me see her.”

He snapped his fingers. “Bring her in.”

Instantly, the door was unbolted and Lena was walked in, restrained by her wrists and in the grip of a bear of a man that shoved her close to the table. She was gagged, but her panicked eyes immediately sought out Kara’s, and they glistened with fresh tears.

“Gently, Max.” He snapped. He resumed his calm persona. “She is an honored guest of this house.”

Max pulled her gag down and let her wrists go, then moved to stand close behind Lex. “I don’t think that will be necessary.” Lex watched the reunion of the two impassively.

Lena was immediately on her knees in front of Kara, whispering, “Kara, are you okay?” Her eyes and hands roamed every place they could find, looking for injuries beyond the swell of purple on her neck, which she assumed was the entry point of an angel sedative.

Kara in turn wrapped her legs around the human and squeezed tightly, ceasing Lena’s administrations. She leaned her forehead onto the crown of her head. “I’m fine. Just glad you’re alive.” Her eyes prickled with tears, and she rubbed them onto raven hair.

Lena readjusted their position so she could embrace Kara’s torso. “Me too.”

They were interrupted by a series of long, slow claps. They looked over to see a lone Lex mime wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh, if I had the power to give you an Oscar for that performance. Absolutely riveting.” He stood, placing his hands on the table. “Kara- your answer. Now.”

“I’ll do it.”

Lena grabbed at her bare leg. “Do it? Do what?” She glanced uncertainly between her angel, and Lex, adding venom when she looked at her brother.

“I-”

“She’ll do my bidding from this point onward,” he interrupted smugly.

“Kara, no! I won’t let you!” She clutched desperately at Kara, begging her to look at her.

Kara’s gaze bore into the table. If she still had her powers, she was sure there’d be a gaping hole there by now.

“There’s nothing you can do about it, dear sister,” Lex sneered. He snapped his fingers again, and Max entered. He stalked menacingly towards Lena, who refused to cower and stood in front of Kara protectively.

“No. You can’t take her.”

“Oh, he’s not taking her. He’s taking you.”

At this, Max twisted Lena’s arms behind her back and maneuvered her gag back on. She screamed and kicked at him, but he only squeezed the bones in her wrists harder, forcing her to stop. She sagged in his grip, and looked pleadingly at Kara’s still form.

Lex spoke. “Stand up.”

She did.

He unlocked her shackles and walked away without a backwards glance. “Follow me.”

Kara rubbed her wrists slowly and followed, almost reaching the door before turning back to Lena and kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry.” 

She walked away to Lena’s muffled cries.

\-----

Lena didn’t know how long she was into her captivity. At least Lex had deemed the underground cell unnecessary, and she was allowed to make her home in a twenty by thirty-foot room with a cot on the floor, a wooden desk, and a wall of books. She had a barred window that allowed her to occasionally glimpse the wisp of a cloud or the ghost of a bird. She was given three meals daily, consisting of the food she guessed Lex ate. His idea of civility was so… backwards. She’d rather live out her days with Kara eating nothing but deep-fried foodstuffs than be treated to the finest roasted quail and vegetables in solitary confinement. She wrote in her diary daily, thinking up ways to escape or contact anyone. The problem was, she never even saw the person who fed her every day. She could only hazard a guess at their gender- Lex preferred hiring men, and the foot she saw push her tray of food into her room every day was always the same men’s dress shoe.

One day, maybe three weeks into her incarceration, Lex walked in in a gale of fury. “Why does she always bend what I tell her?!” He threw her modestly-sized desk across the room, seething. It alighted with a loud crash. “You-” he pointed at her, then grabbed her by the throat and pulled her close. “Tell her to follow orders or I’ll follow through on my promise.”

She dry-swallowed past his tight grip and nodded. “Alright,” she croaked. “On one condition-”

He rolled his eyes and shoved her savagely into the wall, making her head spin. “I know, I know,” he growled. His voice became high-pitched in mockery. “Please, let me see her! I have to see her!!” He let go, and she slid down the concrete for a second before her legs steadied.

He stalked away and looked at her one last time. “I swear to God, I’ll kill you both if she disobeys me again.”

He slammed the door shut, and Lena gasped for breath. She rubbed at her raw throat and collected her fallen notebook and pencil. Maybe there was something she could do with this… 

She wrote out different scenarios all through the night, and made her decision.

\---

Lena was escorted to the middle of a deserted bridge, where Kara stood fully chained to a pillar in an ornate onyx-black costume.

"Lena!" Kara's form shook with a sob. "You're okay."

Lena glanced up at her captor- the same old Max- and wrestled her wrists free. He let go after a couple seconds, and she ran to her angel. The plan was in motion. And it was going to be even easier than she'd planned. "Kara-" she launched into a fierce hug and whispered rapidly into her ear.

She pulled back and raised her eyebrows. Kara nodded almost imperceptibly. 

Lena climbed onto the bridge's railing and wavered, almost falling to the sea hundreds of feet below. 

Kara screamed. “Lena!”

Lex shouted in anger. "Lena...!"

The Luthor regained her balance. Unshed tears shone in her eyes. "Don't come any closer, or I'll jump!" She faced her angel. "It’s okay, Kara.”

Kara sobbed. “Please, don’t do this!”

Lena’s heart broke for her angel. But she would do anything to protect her. And Lex kept his promises. If she jumped, there was a greater chance that Kara would live. If she didn’t… then they would both definitely die- if not today, tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. So it wasn’t a question of what was going to happen. It was how much it would hurt. She took a deep, steadying breath. It rushed out and rattled her regardless.

“Lena, please,” Kara begged. “We’ll get through this together!”

Lex shouted out over her cries. “Listen to her, Lena! Don’t do something you won’t live to regret!”

She kept her eyes on sweet, sweet blue. “There’s no other way, Kara. Please, let me do this.”

“I love you!”

Lena stared deep into the eyes of the person she loved most in the world. “Please try to be happy.” She leaned backwards and let gravity take her.

Kara’s grief shook the ground violently beneath, making Lex and his men fall to their hands and knees. “Aghhh!!” Her eyes glowed blue, and the manacles on her wrists and ankles shattered. She spread her wings and dived after her love.

Lena’s eyes were clenched shut, arms spread wide. Kara caught her moments before impact and curved their fall, landing lightly on the beach.

Lena gasped and clung to Kara. “You saved me.”

Kara gave her a watery smile, still reeling with the thought of almost losing her. “I swore to always protect you, didn’t I? You didn't have to whisper 'Catch me'."

Lena laughed and wiped away at her tears. “Yeah, you did. And I needed to make sure you knew that I had no safeguards in place. You were my only hope.”

Kara laid her down on the warm sand. “It’s not over yet.” She stroked Lena’s cheek. “You’ll be safe here while I deal with him.”

“Okay.” She pulled Kara down for a quick hug. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

Kara smiled. “I won’t.”

She turned to go, but Lena grabbed her hand. "I love you too."

Kara's grin grew and she took flight. Lena saw a dozen other figures alighting from the sky. There was a flash of sickly green, and thirteen angels dispersed towards the heavens. The only figure in black veered towards her.

Kara lifted her into her arms again. “Let’s get you home.”

She buried her face into her angel’s warm neck. “I already am.”


End file.
